The Daily Challenge

Yesterday and today, I've spent hours in front of the computer trying to figure out what happens next. The whole time I was working on it and coming up dry, one of my characters was screaming at me about some comuppance she needed to get out of the way. Even though I knew it didn't come until later on in the story.
I finally gave in and let it happen. It took me less than an hour to work out the whole scene. It flowed from my fingers like water, while the rest of the story was flowing more like molasses on a cold winter day. When I was finished, I was able to go back and start filling in the blanks of what should come before that scene. After about seven pages, I ran dry again. So I went and took a look at the later scene I had finished. Low and behold, what happened after that started spilling out.
I've always struggled to write a book in the order it would happen in. But this is the second time that this sort of thing has happened to me. The last time, it took me two months of work and countless pages to catch up to where my character had led me. And the story flowed seamlessly between the two section.
I guess the moral is: Write what your characters are insisting you get down now. They may not feel like talking about it later. Never lose track of the storyline, but let them out to play at whatever point they want to. You can always fill in later.
The whole thing made me feel a little psycho at first, but I sure felt better when it was over!